Comedian Bill Maher trampled on the tax the rich talking points with a fact check on federal income taxes: “… us regular rich people pay a sh*t ton of taxes!”
Often overlooked by the celebrity-set, living in secluded splendor while supporting the likes of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), are the realities of economics. That was precisely what Maher presented on Friday’s installment of HBO’s “Real Time” when he called out the mismanagement of taxpayer dollars, as he already pays in a majority of his earnings.
“Last week was Tax Day … I paid to the government, if you add in state tax, local, sales, property, fees, Obamacare, probably almost 60% of what I earn. That’s lot,” said the host to his guests, NewsNation host Chris Cuomo and SCOTUS Blog editor Sarah Isgur. “And I still wouldn’t mind if Bernie Sanders would stop saying the rich don’t pay taxes.”
“And while I’m sure the super-rich, with their army of accountants and corporate loopholes, get away with murder,” he went on, “us regular rich people pay a sh*t ton of taxes!”
Somehow, the ultra-rich keep getting ultra-richer, while a growing percentage of people feel truly desperate. pic.twitter.com/6ZiYjxVhbn
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) April 25, 2026
Going beyond his personal anecdote, Maher quoted figures for those who like to claim top earners don’t pay taxes and detailed, “The top 10% pay 72% of all federal income taxes, and the bottom half, 3%.”
“The Democratic socialists talk about socialism like we don’t already have a lot … Again, not against it, just the same question — how can you be soaking the rich and failing the poor so badly?” the comedian continued as he referenced government-run programs like Social Security, unemployment, Medicare, Medicaid and more before joking that the U.S. benefited from “Doctors Within Borders” as areas in the country still relied on volunteer service like Remote Area Medical to obtain healthcare.
“How can it be that the federal government alone took in over $5 trillion in taxes last year and we still need that? Are we really this incompetent and corrupt? Don’t answer that,” he said. “Whatever it is, somehow the ultra-rich keep getting ultra-richer while a growing percentage is feeling truly desperate.”
Maher had also made the point that wealth taxes merely drive successful businesses and entrepreneurs away, even as Mamdani gleefully pushed for tax hikes and Sanders continued to promote California’s Billionaire Wealth Tax. “At a time of massive income and wealth inequality,” the senator argued, “the richest people in our country must start paying their fair share of taxes.”
Congratulations to the California unions who have gotten over 1.5 million people to sign a petition to put a Billionaire Wealth Tax on the ballot.
At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, the richest people in our country must start paying their fair share of taxes. https://t.co/XJbU19uVuM
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 27, 2026
Before Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency had found the filth of the Washington, D.C. swamp may be beyond simple cleaning, Maher had voiced some support for audits in the federal government.
“The first thing he said was, ‘We’re going to ask everybody in the government who has been staying home — and that’s been a lot of people since the pandemic — to come back to work. And we expect about 20% of the workforce to then just quit, and we welcome that.’ And I thought,” said Maher, “yeah, that’s probably okay because if 20% of the government workforce quit, would we notice the difference? I’m guessing we probably wouldn’t.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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